wrongly accused of shoplifting by un-uniformed security guard-help?

BigLee_24

Unless things have changed since my a days of being a security guard....

You have no legal obligation to go with any security and they have no legal right to search you or look in your bags....Our policy was if we didnt have the person on CCTV stealing something we couldnt even stop them.... A bit of advice for you next time you get stopped and asked 'Can I look in your bag please?' or 'Can you step back in the shop please?' Polietly refuse and explain as you have stolen nothing you will not allow anyone to look in any of your bags and will not be stepping back in the shop unless the store plans to detain you whilst they phone the police....

If the store does detain you and the police are called and you are proven to have stolen nothing (the police have the power to search you and your bags with or without your consent) then you get compensation for false imprionment (think it used to be £2000)

If I'm out shopping now and the alarm goes off I never stop as I know I've stolen nothing.... hope this helps

suited-aces

I do enjoy laughing at the people who refuse to stop for a store alarm out of principle. The same idiots who'll then come on here huffing and puffing about compensation for being accosted outside the store by a guard who clearly had reasonable suspicion, since a normal person's reaction to an alarm is to turn round and ask someone to the bloody tag off like they should have!

BigLee_24

So two people in one store dont do there job properly and you enjoy laughing at the victim of this?? Checkout operator didnt take tags off, pretty basic part of the job and security guard was so bad at his job decided to wait for alarms to go off to catch 'shoplifters' Pointless comment by someone who has no idea what he is talking about

suited-aces

"Victim"? Get a grip.

BigLee_24

lol perhaps victim was a bit too strong a word but point still remains

suited-aces

No, it's a perfect illustration of the bleating compensayshun culture.

BigLee_24

Perhaps i should clarify, the post was not intended to start a debate about what people should or shouldnt do when stopped by security guards it was more intended to inform people of their legal rights and give an insight into what I do when in these situations (which thankfully are rare) appologies for appearing to be part 'of the bleating compensation culture'

Zandoni

suited-aces wrote: »

No, it's a perfect illustration of the bleating compensayshun culture.

In case like this COMPENSATION should be awarded, stores have to be more careful when they accuse people. If it happened to me I would refuse to go back to the store and I would call the police. Then I'd get legal advice and try to get some COMPENSATION for being detained against my will.

paddyrg

I cannot see why a security guard/company would have to pay £2k compo for flasely imprisoning somebody if they acted lawfully - citizens arrest/call the police immediately/whatever, otherwise every scrote and smackhead would be after the £2k each week, not the pack of razors/beef. I suspect the £2k story was a bit of a scare story to help keep people straight, or maybe it happened once in extreme circumstances.

BigLee_24

How is falsely imprisoning somebody acting lawfully??